Vote Is Close On Home Rule Proposal Has A Slim Lead With Half Of Precincts In

November 09, 1994|by BOB LAYLO, The Morning Call

It was too close to call if Schuylkill County voters were going to approve a study that could dramatically alter the way county government does business.

With 85 of 177 precincts reporting late last night, 8,342 people voted for forming a Home Rule Commission and 7,925 voted against the commission, according to unofficial tallies.

If a vote for home rule is approved, seven of 19 candidates on the ballot will be elected to study the government for the next nine to 22 months. Some changes the commission could suggest are:

*Increasing the number of county commissioners from three to five, seven or nine. The commissioners could be elected from districts instead of at large.

*Creating an appointed or elected county executive position. The executive would be responsible for day-to-day county business and answer to the commissioners.

*Merging or eliminating row offices such as prothonotary and sheriff.

*Removing the state's 25-mill cap on county taxes and imposing a cap on the county of taxes that could be increased each year.

*Allowing voters to make laws or rescind actions the commissioners take through referendum.

Those suggestions would go before the voters who have final say.

Paul K. Brown of Pottsville collected the signatures to get the question on the ballot. He said home rule would make the commissioners more accountable to the people because voters could make their own law.

Brown also said home rule could mean big savings -- about $300,000 -- if the commission does away with row offices. Brown said row officers do not need any talent and their assistants do much of the work.

The county commissioners have said home rule is not needed. Commissioner Franklin Shollenberger said the county would save little because they would have to appoint people to row offices. And he said row offices create interest in county government.

Shollenberger said the commissioners would study county government on its own if the vote fails.

The county in 1982 rejected a charter that would have created a seven-person council and reduced the row officers from 11 to four.

The commissioners in 1985 adopted two of the defeated charter's reforms by hiring a county administrator and consolidating 30 departments into 10.

Of the 19 candidates running for the commission, eight are Republicans and 11 are Democrats.

The Republicans are Howard Merrick of Pottsville, Phyllis Hesser of Pine Grove, Peter Shanta of Lewistown Valley, John Handler of Tamaqua, Paul J. Datte of Pottsville, James Corrigan of St. Clair, Jane Mallick of Shenandoah and David Donlin of Frackville.

The Democrats are William Reilly of Pottsville, Kathryn Melusky of Pottsville, Francis Lubinsky of Port Carbon, Frank Sluzis of Shenandoah, Andrew McAloose of Kline Township, Robin Spicher of Hegins, Joseph Semansik of New Boston, Richard Yost of Phoenix Park, Vincent Zimmers of Port Carbon, Ronald Schlack of Orwigsburg and Brown.

Donlin, Mallick, Datte and Corrigan ran on the Schuylkill County Chamber of Commerce slate. Brown recruited Yost, Zimmers and Schlack to run.

Reiley, Donlin, Brown, Mallick, Lubinsky, Corrigan and Melusky were leading, according to the unofficial tallies